PART ONE SECTION ONE
PONTIFICAL DOCUMENTS
Translation and notes by
RENATO GASTALDI
and
COSTANZO CARGNONI
I FRATI CAPPUCCINI. Documenti e Testimonianze del Primo Secolo. A cura di COSTANZO CARGNONI. Roma 1982, 98-112.
8. BULL “EX NOSTRI PASTORALIS OFFICI” OF GREGORY XIII
Rome, 6 May 1574. – The brief of Paul III (doc. 5) is revoked, and permission is granted to establish and found houses, places, custodies and provinces according to the custom of the Order in the regions of France and throughout the land.
Source: AGO, QA 227, no. 317, authentic transcript of 3 June 1574; edited in AC I, 795f; BC I, 35 and V, 1f. Cf. supra, note 74.
59 Gregory bishop, servant of the servants of God, in perpetual memory of the fact.
1. By virtue of our pastoral office, we gladly pay attention to all that is directed towards the expansion of every religious institute, especially those which, because of a special devotion of the people, are required in certain localities.[1]
60 2. Now, therefore, the desire is expressed that the congregation of the Order of Friars Minor, known as Capuchins, which has been established for some time in Italy with great benefit and is currently being established also in the regions of France, especially in the great city of Paris,[2] should be consolidated. However, Paul III, of happy memory, our predecessor, because of certain situations indicated at the time, disposed motu proprio, by holy obedience and under penalty of excommunication latae sententae, that the beloved sons, the general vicar and the brothers of the aforesaid Order and congregation, should not dare to move beyond the mountains and accept new places, until he had disposed otherwise in the chapter to be celebrated in Rome. The aforesaid vicar and the friars are convinced that this commandment lapsed with the death of our predecessor aforesaid; fearing, however, to incur in some culpable transgression, they have not dared to do any act against it until now, without the permission of the Holy See.
61 3. We, with a view to enlarging Religion, hereby abrogate, by the authority of the present letters, this prohibition, and grant to the aforesaid vicar and friars, in respect of the same, restitutio in integrum. Indeed, we grant them permission to extend into the regions of France and the whole earth, with the faculty of establishing and founding houses, places, custodies and provinces there, according to their custom.
4. Moreover, no constitutions and apostolic ordinances, nor statutes and customs of the aforementioned Order and congregation, with apostolic confirmation, oath, or any other bond, are an impediment to the above.
62 5. Since it would be difficult to send these letters of presentation to every place where they would be needed, we decree that any transcript of them, even printed, signed by a public notary and bearing the seal of a person constituted in an ecclesiastical dignity, must be given the same faith, in court and outside, as would be given to these presents if they were exhibited or shown.
6. To no one, therefore, be it lawful to break this writing of our abrogation, restitution, concession, and disposition, or, with reckless daring, to contravene it. If anyone then presumes to attempt this, let him know that he will incur the indignation of Almighty God and of his blessed apostles Peter and Paul.
Given in Rome, at St Peter’s, in the year of the Incarnation 1574, on the 6th day of May, in the second year of our pontificate.
GREGORIUS EPISCOPUS
SERVUS SERVORUM DEI
Ad perpetuam rei memoriam.
1. Ex nostri pastoralis offici debito, ad ea libenter attendimus, per quae singularum religionum propagationi consulatur, maxime vero illarum quae alicubi ex speciali populorum devotione optantur.
2. Cum itaque religio Ordinis fratrum minorum congregationis capuccinorum nuncupatae, dudum in Italia salubriter instituta, nunc etiam in partibus Galliarum et signanter in alma civitate Parisiensi institui copta, ad finem perduci desideretur; sed quia alias felicis recordationis Paulus papa III predecessor noster, ex certis tunc expressis causis, in virtute sanctae oboedientiae et sub excommunicationis latae sententiae poena, dilectis filis vicario generali et fratribus dietorum Ordinis et congregationis, motu proprio praecepit ne, donec a se, in capitulo generali eiusdem Ordinis, quod in Urbe cele. brandum erat, aliud super eo determinatum foret, sese ultra montes transferre aut loca de novo inibi acceptare auderent: ipsi vicarius et fratres, etsi hoc praeceptum, dicti praedecessoris obitu, creditum sit expirasse, veriti tamen crimen transgressionis, nihil omnino contra illud absque dictae Sedis permissione, ausi sint hucusque attrectare.
3. Nos, religionis ampliandae studio, prohibitionem praedictam ac quidquid a dicto predecessore eius causa decretum est, auctoritate praesentium abrogamus, ac vicarium et fratres praedictos contra illa in integrum restituimus. Quin etiam illis ad Gallias et ceteras omnes Orbis partes libere transeundi et ibidem domos, loca, custodias et provincias, iuta eorum morem, tundandi et instituendi licentiam tribuimus.
4. Non obstantibus praemissis, ac constitutionibus et ordinationibus apostolicis, necnon Ordinis et congregationis praedictorum iuramento, confirmatione apostolica, vel quavis firmitate alia roboratis statutis et consuetudinibus, ceterisque contrariis quibuscumque.
5. Quia vero difficile esset praesentes, quocumque illis opus erit, perferri, volumus ut illarum transumptis, etiam impressis, manu notari pubblici subscriptis et sigillo persona in dignitate ecclesiastica constitutae munitis, eadem prorsus fides adhibeatur in iudicio et extra, quae presentibus adhiberetur, si exhibitae forent vel ostensae.
6. Nulli ergo omnino hominum liceat hanc paginam nostrae abrogationis, restitutionis, tributionis et voluntatis infringere, vel e ausu temerario contraire. Si quis autem hoc attentare praesumpserit, indignationem omnipotentis Dei et beatorum Petri et Pauli apostolorum eius, se noverit incursurum.
Datum Romae apud Sanctum Petrum, anno Incarnationis Dominicae millesimo quingentesimo septuagesimo quarto, pridie nonas maii, pontificatus nostri anno quarto.
- By 1574 Capuchins had been requested by various nations, especially France since 1562 and Spain since 1570. Cf. Melchior a Pobladura, Historia generalis OFMCap., I, Romae 1947 81-98. ↑
- Sulla venuta dei cappuccini in Francia vedi nella parte IV, sez. I. ↑